The manufacturer’s decision to make a semi-automated gearbox standard — a boon when drivers are negotiating congested city streets — along with an engine that meets the latest Euro 5 exhaust emission rules were both key factors in the bakery’s decision. It has also found that heavy trucks with semi-auto ’boxes return better fuel figures than those that do not have them and expects that this will also be the case at the lighter end of the weight scale.

Supplied through dealer Stormont Truck & Van, each vehicle has been fitted with a Don-Bur body and a Dhollandia tail-lift. The trucks can expect a long service life of from 10 to 11 years.

“With an automated transmission you can’t over-rev the engine and the truck is always in the right gear,” observes fleet engineer, Christopher Davies. “The transmission prolongs clutch life too.” The order is part of a much larger deal for 93 trucks that also includes Eurocargo models at 14 and 18 tonnes.